Tiger Woods posed next to the trophy on the 18th green, a familiar scene with a rare twist. It was Sunday, and his clothing did not include a trace of red, and his jacket was black, not green. He was merely the host of the Chevron World Challenge. His duty was to thank sponsors and volunteers and give the trophy to Vijay Singh. “I'm on the operational side this week,” Woods said. That still beats being operated on, which is why no one had seen Woods at a tournament in any capacity since he won the US Open, his last event before season-ending knee surgery. He went the final 188 days of the US golf season without hitting a single shot, opening a host of opportunities for those he regularly beats. Singh won the silly season event for the first time, taking home his third trophy that belonged to Woods a year ago. The other two were from the Bridgestone Invitational and the FedEx Cup. Did the 45-year-old Fijian take advantage of the big cat being away? Not really. Singh has been among golf's elite for the better part of a decade now, winning three majors and taking the No. 1 ranking away from Woods in 2004. Still, there were some who benefited from Woods spending more time chasing his daughter than chasing Jack Nicklaus. And there were some who didn't. The next four players behind Woods in the world ranking after he won the US Open - Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Ernie Els - combined to play 41 times and produced one victory over the last six months. The only time Mickelson made headlines was because of something Woods' caddie said. With the world's No. 1 player out of sight for the second half of the season, the conversation shifted to five players: – Padraig Harrington The Irishman joined some truly elite company by becoming only the seventh player in the last 50 years to win consecutive majors in the same season. The others were Woods, Nick Price, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer. – Anthony Kim He joined Woods, Sergio Garcia and Adam Scott to become the only players in the last 10 years to win multiple times in a season before turning 25. – Camilo Villegas The Colombian deserves a cameo mention, but two consecutive victories is not quite enough to establish himself as a challenger to Woods. – Sergio Garcia Garcia restored his star power by winning The Players Championship and twice losing in extra holes during the US PGA Tour playoffs - one to Singh, another to Villegas. Asked who benefited the most from his absence, Woods focused on youth - Kim, Villegas, Garcia. “They're hitting their stride now,” he said. “They're coming into their own.” The question is whether they can keep pace when Woods is wearing a red shirt on Sunday, not a black jacket. – AP2009 fully sponsored LOS ANGELES – The PGA Tour has released its entire schedule for next year, a fully sponsored program with a slight increase in purses despite the global financial crisis. The lineup for the regular season was announced last month before the Fall Series, which will finalize the top 125 on the money list and playing priorities for 2010, was added on Tuesday. Although one event still needs to be inked in for the first week of November, Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is delighted with a calendar drawn up in a deteriorating economic climate. “Once again, we believe we have a very strong lineup of fall tournaments for our fans, sponsors and players,” Finchem said in a statement. The Fall Series will start in early October with the $6 million Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, New York. The Nov. 12-15 Disney Classic in Florida will bring the curtain down on the 2009 PGA Tour.
